IN HISSERVICE

DECEMBER / 2017

A N E W S L E T T E R F R O M M E H E R A B A D

Beloved Baba GracesMeherabad with anAbundant MonsoonIt seems that Meherabad is forever consumed with issues of water. WhenMehera complained to Baba that He had chosen a hot, dry, and barrenplace as His headquarters, He promised her with a twinkle that He woulddo better in His next incarnation. Mehera commented on this later: “Babawas so sweet; He always had the right answer.” She went on to say,“Somehow the Avatar always seems to be associated

with barren places.” [Mehera-Meher, vol. III, p. 284].

Whatever His unfathomable reasons, the supply of

water remains a topic that always looms in our work,

minds, conversations, and daily life

at Meherabad.

It has been many years since the

monsoon in this area was productive

enough to leave the wells and reser-

voirs close to capacity. For much of

the past decade, we have only

received average rains, with particu-

arly dry seasons in 2011–13, years of serious deficit. In fact,

much of Ahmednagar District and

Maharashtra were critically

low on water reserves a few years ago, and the reservoir

supplying Ahmednagar city was only a month or two

away from drying up.

While the early pre-monsoon here looked promising

with 228 mm (9 inches) in June, it

quickly gave way to the common

dry spell in mid-monsoon. Things

came roaring back in September,

though, with heavy rains falling

almost daily, adding up to a total

of over 965 mm (38 inches) as

of November. Ahmednagar’s

average monsoon rainfall is 531 mm (21 inches).

Soon the reservoirs were full, the seasonal river to

the south of Arangaon was running strong, and water

seemed to be flowing everywhere. What really separates

this monsoon from good ones in the past was how

widespread the rains were. It seems that all the water

collection areas for miles around are brimming with

water, and you can almost hear a collective sigh of relief

throughout the Maharashtra countryside as the water

buffalo swim in the pools, children dive into wells and

lakes, ladies wash laundry in the rivers, and men wash

their motorbikes.

No doubt we will face the challenges of water

shortages again, but Baba has certainly given us a respite

this year!

Water buffaloes near Meher Pilgrim Retreat enjoying the occasionallake created by the extra heavy monsoon.

This catchment pond southwest of the Samadhi, created for percolation of runoff water into the water table, expanded this year into a beautiful lake.

The extraordinary rainfall filled wells to the top.

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M E S S A G E F R O M T H E C H A I R M A NThis year the Trust has provided Meher English School with the new government

electronic syllabus, whereby lessons are presented on classroom-sized monitors

operated by the teachers via remote control. Just as the lessons would appear

in the textbooks for any given subject, they now appear on the screen with a

soundtrack to accompany them. The material presented follows the textbook

syllabus exactly, and the teacher can pause the program to interact with

the class, augment the information, check on student comprehension, etc.

At the end of a lesson,

exercises are given and

the students write in

their notebooks

accordingly.

E-Learning Classrooms at Meher English SchoolTwo classrooms at the school are in use for the E-Learning program, and

standards four through seven are currently using

them. All subjects are available, and in the future

the lower standards may

also participate.

To honor Avatar Meher Baba’s unique Silence of

43 years, Baba lovers across the globe keep their own

personal silence on July 10th each year,

following Baba’s instructions for His lovers during

His lifetime. At Meherabad, Baba lovers gather to

simply be together in His presence at the Samadhi on

Meherabad Hill. His Samadhi is heaped high with

garlands of roses as pilgrims throughout the

day take their darshan inside the pre-

cious tomb-shrine, while others sit in

silence nearby.

This year, the Trust accommodated a

record number of pilgrims for the

occasion: 1,760. Nearly 1,500 were

accommodated in Hostels

A, B, C, and D, and

264 in the MPR.

S I L E N C E D A Y 2 0 1 7

“The Power of Meher Baba’s

Name” was the theme of

this year’s Young Adult

Sahavas, held at Meherabad

from 20th to 26th August

2017. Throughout the

week-long program, the 108

Sahavasees in attendance

focused on Baba’s name,

inspired by fond remem-

brance of Meherwan Jessawala and his advice on the

importance of Meher Baba’s name.

One participant wrote later: “The teaching of

repeating His name was imbibed by all the Sahavasees

through continuously repeating ‘Meher Baba’ for

thirty minutes, keeping their eyes and hearts open to

feel Baba’s presence and receive His love. The tears and

emotions flowing during this repetition gave us an

experience and glimpse of the power of Meher Baba’s

name. . . . And this was where the real Sahavas with

Meher Baba began.”

The goal of this yearly program is to invite young

adult Baba lovers to join together in Baba’s atmosphere

at Meherabad and Meherazad to experience the Ocean

of His Love. This year Sahavasees from India, China,

and Australia had the opportunity to meditate on

Beloved Baba through diverse activities: group discus-

sions, service projects, cultural programs, art workshops,

watching Baba movies, sports, and outings.

They were treated to a presentation on the

importance of Meherabad as God’s abode, giving them

a glimpse into the old days of Meherabad when Baba

and the mandali lived there. They visited Meherazad

and went on a trek to Baba Gorakhnath’s shrine, which

Meher Baba had walked to with the women mandali.

One day was devoted to service projects. Art and music

workshops and programs were woven through the

days, and the beautiful music chant composed by

Baba in 1927 was sung by the Sahavasees throughout

the week: Hari-Paramatma-Allah-Ahuramazda-God-

Yezdan-Hu.

NOTE: visit www.Mbyas.org/mbyas17 to view more

pictures and videos and to listen to music.

The Power of Meher Baba’s Name

Sahavasees entering Meherazad from the Approach Road.

Pilgrims take the opportunity to focus entirely on Baba while sitting in silence near His Samadhi.

Baba pilgrims and resident volunteers have, for the

last few years, coached the eighth and ninth standard

students attending Ram Vidyalaya in conversational

English one day a week. As a result, the Principal and

the teachers have seen remarkable strides in the

children’s confidence and ability to speak English. Now

the opening of the new tutoring center continues this

tradition. With two beautiful new classrooms ready for

the eager children and two qualified teachers hired, the

Educational Facility opened its doors on 4th November

2017. With parents, children, teachers, villagers,

residents of Meherazad, and the trustees of Avatar Meher

Baba Trust in attendance, the Educational Facility

was officially

inaugurated.

Chairman Shridhar

Kelkar cut the

“Baba-pink” ribbon

strung across the

doorway of one of

the classrooms.

Afterwards, beloved

Meher Baba’s photo

was garlanded jointly

by the trustees and

Principal Karade, as

students with respect

and appreciation, a

few with genuine reverence, and most with curiosity and

wonder at the new opportunity for learning that awaited

them. Surely Baba was smiling as He presided over the

event.

New Educational Facility for Village Students

Mr. Karade, Principal of Ram Vidyalaya High

School in Pimpalgaon-Malvi, has taken an active role

along with the Trust in the creation of this facility,

choosing the students who would benefit most from the

voluntary program and selecting teachers who know

how to encourage and support students in the learning

process, whether they need remedial or advanced tutor-

ing. The educational facility will be open four days a

week—before and after regular school hours. Following

the advice of Principal Karade, classes are being held in

English and Mathematics for the eighth and ninth stan-

dard students.

From the earliest days of the establishment of

Meherabad as Meher Baba’s headquarters and ashram,

improving the education of village children was one focus

of His work. The Hazrat Babajan High School and the

Meher Ashram were both created by Baba to help these

children succeed educationally. Without restrictions

regarding caste, creed, or religion, children from all walks

of life were accepted, and one of the subjects Baba chose

for their study was the English language.

Meher Baba’s love and concern for the

education of all children contin-

ued throughout

His lifetime, and, in 1959, long after the dissolution of

these schools, Baba ensured such care would continue in

perpetuity by delineating the creation of “schooling

facilities” as one of the objects of the Avatar Meher Baba

Trust. Naturally, the Trust has continued to uphold this

purpose.

The Trust has

been providing

assistance to Ram

Vidyalaya High

School in Pimpal-

gaon-Malvi village,

near Meherazad, for

some time. A

kitchen and store-

room have been

constructed for the

high school, so that

hot lunches for the

children could be

cooked in a sanitary facility. Previously, the meals had

been cooked in a shed with a dirt floor. New school desks,

textbooks, and other needed supplies continue to be

provided by the Trust, as well as supporting extra-

curricular activities, a favorite among the students being

classes in Tae Kwon Do.

Jai Baba dear Family,

As you can see on our front page, Meherabad

has been blessed with a bountiful monsoon season

this year. As catchment ponds and wells filled up, we

could see that our water table has finally replenished

after several years. We are thankful to Beloved Baba

for this respite from our usual drought conditions.

The Trust has entered into a wage settlement

agreement with the employees for three years, from

1st April 2017 to 31st March 2020. As a result of this

agreement, the annual wages expense to the Trust

has increased by 70%, an increase of Rs. 1.66

crores (i.e., $256,000). We are also providing

Accidental Death coverage of Rs. 2,00,000 to all

workers and hospitalization insurance coverage

(contributory) for workers and their dependent

family members.

For the proposed pedestrian underpass under the

Railway Track, as mentioned in our last issue, the

Trust has deposited Rs. 65 lakhs (approximately

$100,000)  with the Railways for this work. The

Railway authorities are selecting the contractor to

carry out the construction and hopefully the work

will commence by the end of the year.

We are now in our busiest time of the pilgrim year

and enjoy the meeting of

Baba lovers from all over

the world at Meherabad

and Meherazad who

come with their hearts

full of love for their

Beloved.

In Baba’s Love,

Shridhar Kelkar, Chairman

Avatar Meher Baba Trust

Avatar Meher Baba ki Jai!

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A new Educational Facility for tutoring the students of Pimpalgaon-Malvivillage has been opened by the Trust on the Meherazad Approach Road. Thepurpose of this facility is to provide tutoring for academically challenged students needing help to keep up with their classes and also to provide accelerated, additional studies for those students of higher capabilities whowish to better prepare for higher education.

Baba with the children of a charitable grammar school at Akbar Press, Ahmednagar.

LEFT: The EducationalFacility on InaugurationDay.

RIGHT: Excited andhappy students whowish to take advantageof the extra tutoringthat will be available atthe new centre.

Considering Avatar Meher Baba’s love

for cricket and the fact that He Himself

was a marvelous cricketeer, it is no

surprise that the Trust annually

sponsors a cricket tournament at

Meherabad in His honor. For the

past three years, the Meher

Cricket Team from Arangaon has

been the primary organizer for

the event. This year, 16 cricket

teams from all over the

Ahmednagar district

played at the 10-day

tournament.

There are some new

features noted for the

tournament this year:

Meherabad was treated again this year to a wonderful

play in the continuing series of original dramas

performed by the Avatar Meher Baba Bombay Centre.

Avatarhood of Meher Baba, Part 7, Meher Baba on the

Astral World and Occultism was presented on the 21st

October 2017 in the Music and Arts Centre (Theatre).

These plays are conducted in the Hindi language, with

a simultaneous translation in English, broadcast via

FM, so non-Hindi speakers can listen with earphones

while watching the action on stage.

Due to weather, the event now takes place

in the cooler month of November instead of

the hot month of February.

Boys from the Meher English School eighth,

ninth, and tenth standards (grades) attended

the Opening Ceremony to view the cricketeers.

A renowned cricketeer (note for cricket fans:

he represents Maharashtra State in the

Ranji Trophy matches) kindly attended

the Opening Ceremony, and after-

wards went over to encourage the

school boys to become involved

in this great sport.

On the morning of the last

day of the tournament, two

young women’s teams from Ahmednagar played an exhibition match, followed

Meherabad CricketTournament

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CREATED IN 1959 under Meher Baba’s direction,

the Avatar Meher Baba Trust has the purpose of

fulfilling the objectives in the Trust Deed set out by

Baba and the Trustees He appointed. The Trust Deed

calls for the maintenance of Avatar Meher Baba’s

Tomb; for the creation of pilgrim facilities; for

educational, medical, and other charitable services;

for estate development and procurement of sources

of water; for the advancement of Avatar Meher

Baba’s love-message through melas, museums,

lectures, publications, and the arts; and for

spiritual training.

Contact: The Chairman, Avatar Meher Baba Trust, King’s Road, Post Bag 31, Ahmednagar414001, M.S., India.

Email: chairman@ambppct.org. Website: www.avatarmeherbabatrust.org.Subscribe to In His Service:

INDIA: chairman@ambppct.org.OTHER COUNTRIES: mailroom@sheriarpress.com.

Subscribe to Tavern Talk (the Trust’s electronic newsletter): http://mymeherbaba.com/ mailman/listinfo/tavern-talk.

Or sign on via the Trust website: http://ambppct.org/subscription.php.

For Reservations to Stay at Meherabad: FOR MEHER PILGRIM RETREAT: pimco@ambppct.org.FOR HOSTEL D/DHARAMSHALA: jaibaba@ambppct.org.

In His Service is the newsletter of the Avatar

Meher Baba Trust; all articles and other material

are compiled under the direction of the Chairman.

Issued biannually, it is designed and published by

Sheriar Press, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA.

All articles are copyrighted © 2017 Avatar Meher

Baba P.P.C. Trust, Ahmednagar, India.

WHAT IS THE AVATAR MEHER BABA TRUST?

DONATIONS AND INQUIRIES SHOULD BE SENT TO: THE AVATAR MEHER BABA TRUST, POST BAG NO. 31, KING’S ROAD, AHMEDNAGAR 414001, MAHARASHTRA STATE, INDIA.

Drama Presented by AMB Bombay Centre

ABOVE: This year’s tournament included teams of young men and women.

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in the afternoon by the tournament’s final match.

This popular event

reflects Beloved

Baba’s life-long

(Advent-long!)

enthusiasm for cricket.

BELOW: At theopening ceremony for the Tournament.

How to ContributeThe Avatar Meher Baba Trust is supported entirely bylove-gifts from Meher Baba’s lovers around the world.In truth, it is Baba Himself who gives through yourhands, and it is Baba Himself who brings the objectsto completion which He Himself laid down in theTrust Deed, when it pleases Him to do so.

Contributions can be made directly to the Trust at: AMBPPC Trust, Post Bag No. 31, King’s Road,Ahmednagar 414001, MS, India. Donations may besent by personal check or demand draft payable toAvatar Meher Baba PPC Trust and may be in any currency. In addition, a few Baba organizations in theUSA and UK have established legal means to accept tax-deductible donations and transfer them to theTrust.

In the UK: Please send tax-deductible contributionsto Meher Baba Association, c/o Sue Chapman, 2 Chapel Hill Row, Craster, Northumberland NE66 3TU, tel. 01 665 57 69 57, e-mail suchapman@hotmail.com.

In the USA, to make tax-deductible donations to support the Development Plan and/or OperatingExpense grants being made to the Trust, please see theTrust’s website (click on the “How to Help” button or search https://www.ambppct.org/fNat.php). The webpage lists the names and addresses of the U.S. MeherBaba tax-exempt organizations that make grants to theTrust and also provides information on making dona-tions to the Trust by bequest or beneficiary designation.

Trust financial information is provided annually inthe Trust Financial Report, sent out with the June/Julyissue of this newsletter and posted on the Trust web-site. The Financial Report details information onTrust receipts and expenditures; it also provides a cur-rent and projected expenditures report for the TrustDevelopment Plan. More information can be found inthe Trust’s website at www.avatarmeherbabatrust.org.